29 June 2017

News Story: What impact will "Trumpism" have on today's world order?

US President Donald Trump

by Xinhua writer Liu Si

BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The latest decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to allow President Donald Trump's revised travel ban unsurprisingly sparked widespread controversy, though it was hailed by Trump himself as a "clear victory for national security."

No matter what, the 9-0 vote by the court held on Monday was a clear sign that the United States may become more conservative in its immigration policy, or other domestic and foreign policies.

Five months into his term, Trump has altered the direction of U.S. foreign policy as he pursued his "America First" agenda. His philosophy and politics were given the name "Trumpism," which can be broadly defined as secure borders, economic nationalism and an America-first foreign policy.

Apart from its immigration policy, the administration's decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and rescind its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement has called into question America's role in the current world order.

Many experts who attended the sixth World Peace Forum held over the weekend in Beijing voiced concerns that Trump's policies, or "Trumpism," might undermine American soft power and bring a lot of uncertainties to the world order.

They also discussed how Trump's "America First" policy will change the global landscape and how China is able to step up its role to make greater contributions to the international community given that the United States under Trump's leadership is withdrawing from certain fields.

Daniel Russel, a senior fellow at the U.S. Asia Society Policy Institute and former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that the Trump administration does not see the world as "a global community," but rather considers it as an arena for competition like the "Colosseum for gladiators." ' Noting that it "has departed from some traditions in the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world," Russel said the Trump administration prioritizes transactional bilateralism over multilateralism in trade and foreign relations, while being ambiguous about the country's commitment to treaty alliances, allies and security partners.